Thanksgiving

What do you say about Thanksgiving that hasn't already been said by thousands of other people? We go through exercises this time of year recalling God's blessings in our lives and rehearsing all the things we should be thankful for. So what perspective can be offered in days like we are in when there seems to be less to be thankful for?

As a Christian, it is not really legitimate to say "I had more to be thankful for in the past than I do now." The call to the follower of Jesus is to recognize that we can be thankful in all circumstances. The apostle Paul says “And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God."(Romans 5:2b) I think it would be safe to change the word "rejoice" to "are thankful" without destroying the meaning of that verse. It is expected that no matter what happens in a Christians life that, if we understand the gospel message, we can and should always be thankful for the hope of our salvation - it isn't all that hard to comprehend. But then Paul goes on to say, "Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.” (Romans 5:3-4)

This concept is a little harder to get our heart and mind around. Is Paul actually saying rejoice, be happy, be thankful when we suffer? Why would I be happy to suffer? How could I make myself be thankful for bad things that happen to me? Because we learn as followers of Jesus to not just look at our current circumstances but to look at the end result. The promise of God is that when we suffer, He produces in us perseverance, character and hope.

My oldest son works in a auto body shop. He spends most of his day sanding cars; getting them ready to be painted. Does he always love all the sanding? No. But he finds fulfillment in seeing the finished product of a car being painted and looking really nice. He also builds some pretty good muscles in his arms and legs - not to mention he gets a pay check also. The job itself may not always be fun but the end results are worth it.

No one is saying you should be ecstatic every time you suffer but you can be thankful knowing that the end result of the building up of your spiritual body is taking place and that God will strengthen you and help you through the circumstance that you face.

What are you thankful for this year? Maybe this year it is not about the things you have. Maybe this year you'll have to dig a little deeper to see that though your circumstances don't warrant it, you can be thankful for what God is doing in you through those circumstances.

I hope this year is the best Thanksgiving ever for you.

The picture is of my dog, Sadie. I had to put her to sleep last week. She was over 11 years old. Up until recently she was very healthy and then all of the sudden went down hill fast. I used to say, part jokingly and part serious, that my animals have a $50.00 a year limit. Anything beyond that and they are "out of here." I found that was not as easy to say when it meant life or death to my dog that has been a part of our family for almost 11 of her years. But after spending a few hundred dollars with the prognosis looking like it would end up being several thousand dollars with no guarantee of good health, we couldn't afford to make those kinds of commitments.

I thought I was going to be tough through all of this. But when the Vet. actually gave her the shot, I cried like a baby. It was really hard. One person asked Rhonda and I if we had prayed prayers for Sadie to be received in heaven. I know that some people believe they will see their animals in heaven. There are indications that there will be animals in heaven (Isaiah 11) but I don't think they will be the animals that we have had on earth while we are living.

It's amazing how attached we get to animals. We almost treat them as our own kids sometimes. We probably get a little carried away sometimes. But I do thank God for animals that He has given us to enjoy life with. His creation is so amazing. I miss Sadie. But I'm thankful that God created animals that we could see His handiwork in and enjoy the companionship that they give.



Jeff